Magnet Treatment for Depression Works for Some

Rigorous Study Finds rTMS Magnet Therapy Can Relieve Depression With Few Side Effects

WebMD News Archive

rTMS Treatment Needs Refinement

What does all this mean for people looking for relief from depression?

For starters, it means that people have a new treatment option, says Matthew
Rudorfer, MD, associate director for treatment research at the National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Rudorfer notes that in the study, people were more likely to benefit from
rTMS if they received the treatment before trying (and failing to get relief
from) more than one antidepressant medication.

"It is looking as if rTMS would be more effective earlier in the treatment
course rather than later," Rudorfer tells WebMD. "More work needs to be done to
find the right niche for this. We are very interested in personalizing
treatment for depression, and this fits that theme. For a small but significant
proportion of people who have not responded to medication -- one, probably, and
not a whole series of drugs -- this could be a viable alternative."

The study showed that rTMS does not induce seizures and appears to be free
of major adverse effects.

Lisanby notes that researchers are still working to optimize rTMS by finding
the best treatment dose and duration, as well as by working to pinpoint the
region of the brain where stimulation will have the greatest effect.

Although the study was funded by the NIMH without industry support, Lisanby
reports receiving research grants with several companies involved with rTMS
including Neuronetics Inc. Columbia University has a patent on TMS technology
in Lisanby's name. Lisanby's research colleagues also disclose receiving
grants, fees, and/or advisory board work for such firms.

The rTMS devices used in the study were the FDA-cleared NeuroStar devices
made by Neuronetics. This device was selected in a competitive bidding
process.

Lisanby and colleagues report their findings in the May issue of Archives
of General Psychiatry.

Sarah Lisanby, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry and chief, Brain
Stimulation and Therapeutic Modulation Division, Columbia University and New
York State Psychiatric Institute; director, ECT and TMS Service Line, New York
Presbyterian Hospital, New York.